Glad he took a broader look at things rather than use the piece as an opportunity to pick on Rachael some more. It was a pleasant surprise. He does have a decent analysis over who can be the No. 2 lady in 2014. (I guess he's assuming that we won't gain the third spot for now...)

This wasn't very nice: "One can only hope Flatt, a Stanford sophomore, will stop for good rather than risk long-term physical damage in an ill-advised attempt to try for a second Olympics." One thing about Flatt I have to admire is that she really did overachieve. At hear peak she delivered so many clean performances that she didn't leave the judges many opportunities to deduct points. The other skaters can learn a lot from her as far as handling pressure and delivering clean skates, so I hope she remains involved in skating somehow.

I also disagree with Hersh that Mirai isn't in the mix for spot #2. There is so little depth behind Ashley that it wouldn't surprise me at all if someone relatively unknown like Angela were to grab that spot. Mirai is definitely in the picture.

This wasn't very nice: "One can only hope Flatt, a Stanford sophomore, will stop for good rather than risk long-term physical damage in an ill-advised attempt to try for a second Olympics." One thing about Flatt I have to admire is that she really did overachieve. At hear peak she delivered so many clean performances that she didn't leave the judges many opportunities to deduct points. The other skaters can learn a lot from her as far as handling pressure and delivering clean skates, so I hope she remains involved in skating somehow.

I also disagree with Hersh that Mirai isn't in the mix for spot #2. There is so little depth behind Ashley that it wouldn't surprise me at all if someone relatively unknown like Angela were to grab that spot. Mirai is definitely in the picture.

No, that definitely wasn't nice at all, but to be honest I expected the whole article to be some sort of grievance over all the wrong Rachael did in figure skating considering the disproportionate abount of time he spent criticizing her for "tibiagate" at the 2011 Worlds.

He did at least acknowledge her achievement somewhat.

Hersh tends to make broad generalizations about skating, so I take them with a grain of salt.

Unfortunately, given the current look of things, that's probably a safe assumption to make.

I'm still exercising caution when talking about Wagner- I STILL think she's far from a done deal. Maybe it's pessimism on my part, or seeing the ups and downs (and injuries!) of so many skaters before her- but...you know, if she happens to not do so well at TEB, what's everyone going to think? (yes, bandwagoners, I'm looking at you )

Nagasu is still very much in the picture. If there is anyone currently in the mix that I have the least amount of confidence in, it is Czisny. And I refuse to drink the Gao kool-aid even after SA.

I'm still exercising caution when talking about Wagner- I STILL think she's far from a done deal. Maybe it's pessimism on my part, or seeing the ups and downs (and injuries!) of so many skaters before her- but...you know, if she happens to not do so well at TEB, what's everyone going to think? (yes, bandwagoners, I'm looking at you )

I think Ashley is a safe bet to make 2013 Worlds. She has done enough since last year's Nationals (4CC, Worlds, SA) to get a spot even if she bombs at Nationals. Even when she gets nervous, she has the ability to at least lands jumps on 2 feet, and her PCS is high enough now to compensate for the errors. Two girls would have to have the skate of their lives in both the SP and the LP, and Ashley would have to completely bomb, for her not to finish in the top 2. And then the USFSA would have to look past her great recent results to put those 2 girls on the World team. I don't see all of those things happening.

It is silly to think things would ever be how they were in 2010 for her. She is a full time college student who can only practice as much skating as she can fit in, healthy or not, her body has changed significantly since and is no longer condusive to great jumping and now makes her skating look extremely heavy at the best of times. Furthermore she was the darling of the USFSA who she has lost major support and status with and probably burnt bridges irrepairrably with the 2011 Worlds fiasco, and she was then by default their best option as the only consistent skater they had then. None of that is the case now, it is a whole new World compared to 2010 for her.

I wholeheartedly disagree her decline is solely based on injuries. I predicted after the 2011 Nationals (where she wasnt injured) that would be the last time we ever saw her make a World team barring a miracle. Her fall since has been even more dramatic than I predicted, but I could see it coming a mile away all the same.

I disagree. When an athlete has had chronic leg/foot injury issues, and I don't care what sport we are talking about...tennis, running, soccer, baseball, basketball, etc.... it affects "real time" training, strength and conditioning, cardio...you name it, esp when it involves your legs and feet. Flatt has acknowledged leg/foot issues since the autumn of 2010. If you are trying to train but compromised due to leg/foot issues, a huge part of your time is spent doing recovery, and if that includes minimizing real training time and for skaters, that is on ice training, that compromises building speed on the ice, choreography, spins, jumps...just about everything. And, if you can't put full effort into training, it shows up. And, I don't think she competed "injury free" at 2011 Nationals....I suspect, because of the chronic nature of what she has gone thru for several seasons, that she was able to compete managing the pain, as many athletes do on a daily basis. You make it sound like a fall from grace from USFS. And, I also disagree with that. USFS would not have used her to promote 4CC in Colorado Springs if that was the case. There were plenty of other skaters they could have reached out to, but they chose Flatt.

I guess her injuries are really holding her back and it's understandable that you can't do the proper healing when you run so many things in life at once. I hope she recovers well and comes back strong.

There is no logic in my thoughts but I kind of hope Flatt and Czisny can move on and enjoy life with no regrets. I do feel like there time has come and gone even if they wanted a little more glory. If it were not for the fact Czisny is still the princess expected to blossom one would think her world performance should have screamed her career in the US was over. It wasn't just bad it was dreadful. whether she is a basket case or what she iis just too inconsistent to even be considered a real champion (LOL). Flatt had the consistency though she was always a little or rather "flat". I guess though they both have the Olympic dream; though the odds are only one of them will have that dream at best.

Flatt was fabulous in Vancouver and a scholar athlete few can achieve-Gao and Flatt are incredibly gifted people. I salute you Rachael, you really finished 4th or5th at your Olympics-you just could not be placed before WC Miki Ando in political judging. If Flatt were thin she'd get more respect. Her body type is round, but I for one enjoyed many performances. She is a NC little girls will always admire.

There is no logic in my thoughts but I kind of hope Flatt and Czisny can move on and enjoy life with no regrets.

I think that will be especially easy for Rachel. She really made the most with her limited gifts (limited relative to other elite international skaters). She won a national title and skated her very best at the Olympics and Worlds in 2010. She has nothing to regret. For Alissa, I sense that she'd like another shot to prove she can nail a great program when it counts. I can't see her leaving the sport on such a low note (last Worlds).